Gastric Balloon surgery is a weight loss surgery option that installs an inflated saline-solution filled or gas-filled balloon into a patient’s stomach. Usually, this balloon is there for about six months and helps limits the amount of food that one can consume. This allows a patient to feel fuller faster and eating less, leading to weight loss.
Elipse is one variation of the intragastric balloon that has yet to be approved by the FDA. With this type, the balloon is inserted into the patient’s stomach by swallowing it and months later, it is digested. This variation doesn’t require surgery, anesthesia or endoscopy at all. The patient swallows a capsule attached to a catheter. Once it reaches the stomach, the capsule degrades leaving the balloon in the stomach. The catheter is used in order to inflate this balloon with saline. A valve is triggered after about six months and the balloon is deflated and digested.
Expected Weight Loss With Elipse
It’s important to note that weight loss is relative to a patient’s commitment to a healthy lifestyle with healthy eating and regular exercise. However, typical gastric balloon patients can expect to lose between 25 and 50 pounds in a six-month time while the gastric balloon is still in place (about 1-2 pounds weekly). Improvements in one’s health including heart-related issues, breathing problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and joint pain all have been experienced by those who have endured gastric balloon bariatric surgery.
Some weight loss surgeon say that patients can expect to lose 15-20% of their total body weight during the experience (which may be a different number than before). There is no real answer to this question and it will depend on the caloric intake of the patient and how active of a lifestyle they live.
More information about the expected weight-loss of the Elipse Gastric Balloon will be made available after the first clinical trial. (More Updates Coming)
Cost of Elipse?
While there are no specifics on Elipse or estimates, it can be assumed that the cost of the procedure will be considerably less because it requires no actual surgery, endoscopy or anesthesia and can be performed in an outpatient situation. For those who are interested in comparing prices for intragastric balloons, Obera and ReShape Duo range between $8,000 and $13,000.
FDA Approval
Many professionals agree that this is a safe and effective weight loss tool that improves the health of patients. While the procedure has been approved in Europe, American surgeons are still waiting. Because it is considered safe, it can be expected that the Ellipse gastric balloon procedure will be approved by FDA.
Additional Links:
- Gastric Balloon (BariatricJournal.com) – Guide on intragastric balloon procedures.
- NIH – Elipse Proof of Concept – Pilot study for the Elipse gastric balloon.
- Clinical Trials for Elipse – ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Allurion Company Website – Inventor website.
